Ryan
Keith Taylor, 24, of New Llano, Louisiana, and a soldier at Fort Polk,
was sentenced today to 135 months in prison, to be followed by five
years of supervised release, for manufacturing, possessing and
detonating a chemical weapon in the Kisatchie National Forest adjacent
to the Fort Polk Army installation in Louisiana.

The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National
Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph for the
Western District of Louisiana. The sentence was issued by U.S. District
Judge Jay C. Zainey.

“Taylor produced and detonated a chemical bomb near Fort Polk,
causing injury to his fellow soldiers who responded to and investigated
the incident.” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Today’s
sentence holds Taylor accountable for his crime and makes clear that we
will not tolerate such conduct. I want to thank the agents and
prosecutors who are responsible for this result and our military and
local law enforcement partners for their significant contributions to
this investigation.”

“Supporting and protecting our soldiers is of utmost importance to my
office,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph. “Those serving our country put
their lives on the line daily to protect us. They should not be put in
danger needlessly. The chemical weapon the defendant created in this
case is banned under international and national laws because of its
terrible effects on the human body. I want to thank our U.S. military,
federal and local law enforcement for their combined effort
investigating this case and bringing this defendant to justice.”

According to the June 11, guilty plea, Taylor detonated an explosive
device containing chlorine gas on the morning of April 12, 2017 in the
Kisatchie National Forest near Fort Polk. Three U.S. Army soldiers who
were conducting a training exercise nearby heard the explosions and
found Taylor standing near his vehicle filming the explosion with his
cell phone. They then questioned Taylor and reported the incident to
military police.

Upon arriving at the site of the explosion, Fort Polk military police
investigators examined the scene and began collecting samples at the
blast site. One investigator filled a plastic bag with a rock coated in
an unknown substance. The bag immediately popped and the
investigator’s plastic gloves and boots began to melt. He also began to
experience difficulty breathing and his skin started burning. Law
enforcement later detained Taylor at Fort Polk and searched his vehicle.
During the search, investigators found remnants of the explosive
device and chlorine residue, which one investigator inhaled and touched,
causing him to be hospitalized. During the course of the
investigation, law enforcement agents found bomb-making notes, materials
and chemical residue in Taylor’s vehicle, apartment and storage
building. The two victims who inhaled the chlorine gas were treated
multiple times for their injuries and effectively ended their military
careers.

The U.S. Army Directorate of Emergency Services, Military Police,
Criminal Investigation Command, and Military Intelligence/Army
Counterintelligence Gulf Coast at Fort Polk, Louisiana; the FBI and the
FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force; the Louisiana State Police; the Vernon
Parish Sheriff’s Office; and local police and fire agencies in Vernon
Parish investigated the case.

U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J.
McCoy and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis E. Robinson of the
Western District of Louisiana, and Trial Attorney David Cora of the
National Security Division’s Counterterrorism section prosecuted the
case.